Authored by: Hafiz Muhammad Anwar Zahid (ḥafiẓahullāh)
Hazrat Anas (رضي الله عنه) narrates:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ once sent me to call Abū Barzah (رضي الله عنه). When he arrived, the Prophet ﷺ said to him—and I was listening—
“O Abū Barzah (رضي الله عنه), regarding Ali (رضي الله عنه), my Lord has made a covenant with me.”
Then the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Ali (رضي الله عنه) is the standard of guidance, the beacon of faith, the leader of my awliyāʼ, and the light for all those who obey me.
O Abū Barzah (رضي الله عنه), Ali (رضي الله عنه) is my trustee, he will be at my ḥawḍ (cistern) on the Day of Judgment. He will carry my flag and be entrusted with the keys to the treasures of Paradise.”
[Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl, Vol. 4, p. 356, Ḥadīth No. 9440]
This narration is reported by Lāḥizā Abū ʿUmar al-Taymī, about whom severe criticism has been recorded:
✔ Ibn ʿAdī states:
He is unknown (majhūl) and narrates fabricated (munkar) reports under the names of trustworthy narrators. This narration is false (bāṭil).
✔ Imām al-Dhahabī says:
This narration is certainly fabricated (mawḍūʿ).
A question is posed to the Saba’iyyah (extreme Shīʿah sect):
This narration is claimed to be transmitted from ʿUrwah by his son Hishām, and from Hishām by Sulaymān ibn Ṭarḫān al-Taymī al-Baṣrī.
Let it be proven that Sulaymān al-Taymī ever heard ḥadīth from Hishām ibn ʿUrwah.
Moreover, Hishām’s memory deteriorated after he came to Iraq, i.e., after 131 AH. Therefore:
✔ Only those narrations are considered acceptable which were transmitted from Hishām by the people of Madinah before his mental decline.
❖ The Report Attributed to Hazrat Anas (رضي الله عنه)
Hazrat Anas (رضي الله عنه) narrates:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ once sent me to call Abū Barzah (رضي الله عنه). When he arrived, the Prophet ﷺ said to him—and I was listening—
“O Abū Barzah (رضي الله عنه), regarding Ali (رضي الله عنه), my Lord has made a covenant with me.”
Then the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Ali (رضي الله عنه) is the standard of guidance, the beacon of faith, the leader of my awliyāʼ, and the light for all those who obey me.
O Abū Barzah (رضي الله عنه), Ali (رضي الله عنه) is my trustee, he will be at my ḥawḍ (cistern) on the Day of Judgment. He will carry my flag and be entrusted with the keys to the treasures of Paradise.”
[Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl, Vol. 4, p. 356, Ḥadīth No. 9440]
❖ The Fabricator:
This narration is reported by Lāḥizā Abū ʿUmar al-Taymī, about whom severe criticism has been recorded:
✔ Ibn ʿAdī states:
He is unknown (majhūl) and narrates fabricated (munkar) reports under the names of trustworthy narrators. This narration is false (bāṭil).
✔ Imām al-Dhahabī says:
This narration is certainly fabricated (mawḍūʿ).
❖ A Challenge to the Saba’iyyah
A question is posed to the Saba’iyyah (extreme Shīʿah sect):
This narration is claimed to be transmitted from ʿUrwah by his son Hishām, and from Hishām by Sulaymān ibn Ṭarḫān al-Taymī al-Baṣrī.
Let it be proven that Sulaymān al-Taymī ever heard ḥadīth from Hishām ibn ʿUrwah.
Moreover, Hishām’s memory deteriorated after he came to Iraq, i.e., after 131 AH. Therefore:
✔ Only those narrations are considered acceptable which were transmitted from Hishām by the people of Madinah before his mental decline.
